What's so great about the OV-10 Bronco?

[marine air]

I recently got to sit in an OV-10 Bronco. Always loved them since a kid. Then I realized that I also had a thing for most twin boom aircraft like the FW-189, O-2, P-61 Widow, and of course the F-82 Twin Mustang. Does anyone know much about the Bronco? Is it a great aircraft or underpowered with too small wings and cramped, hot cockpit. Please advise.

[mike furline]

Can't help with your question, but a good OV-10 read here.

http://www.blackpony.org/dansmag.htm

[LadyO2Pilot]

Never flown one; however, very close friends with many Marine and AF pilots who flew them in combat. They loved the plane. The mission was slightly different between the Navy/Marine and the AF OV-10s. AF was mainly a FAC mission where, as I understand, the Navy/Marine a/c was more of an attack bird. Really have never heard any of the guys complain about the cramped cockpit or the flight characteristics. Just a little bit of info.

[Jerry O'Neill]

I think it's one of the coolest aircraft out there! I had heard that they were underpowered, and that they might not be so fun to bail out of, but everyone seems to like them!
Here's two shots of the Cactus Air Forces OV-10 Bronco (ex: West German) in Sacramento earlier this month.
Jerry

[Rob Mears]

The OV-10 has got some wicked character. I only hope that more of them end up on the civil register.

Can anyone account for how many are in private hands as flyers, or potential flyers? I wonder if there are any remaining to be had in Germany, or any other foreign air forces?

Last edited by Rob Mears on Mon Oct 21, 2013 4:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Warbirdnerd]

My Dad flew them and loved the OV-10. Might have been biased after having 3 Hueys shot out from under him...
Geoff has a good listing of the survivors here:
http://www.goodall.com.au/warbirds-dire ... erican.pdf

[Tom Moungovan]

I'm curious if any remaining still have the ejection seats. Reason I ask is that I spent a week at Pendleton in late '67 at a class given by the USMC. There were 6 of us AF types there. A week of school and I never saw one again. Go figure.

[DaveG]

Seeing a USMC Bronco fly at Pax River in 1969 (my first air show) is absolutely what hooked me on airplanes. That pilot twisted and turned and banked and climbed and rolled and hung...in short, I didn't know you could fly a plane like that and I was captivated. I've always been enamored of it because of that, and knowing that Neal Melton bought one for the TN Museum of Aviation rekindled all those memories. I sure hope he flies it eventually.

[wls3]

Valiant Air Command's OV-10D last used by Department of State in Columbia for drug spraying program.
De-milled at Patrick AFB then towed to the museum in 2010.

Very, very cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wx00Aq9Vsk

Bill

Last edited by wls3 on Mon Oct 21, 2013 7:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[JohnB]

A civil registered one (ex-German target tug) was recently wrecked in the UK.

If you have access to a library (remember those?) with back issues from the early-mid 70s, look up a column Gordon Baxter wrote in Flying magazine about being taken for a ride in one by Gen. Marion Carl (famous as a test/record setting pilot in the 50s). They both loved the thing. It gave a good non-technical version of the flying qualities.

[Chappie]

They are just friggin cool! My wife and I went down to Daytona in 2000 for the Pepsi 400, while we were checking into the hotel in Coca Beach I heard strange sounding turboprops. I looked south and saw two OV-10s going into......holy crap....I just went blank on the AFB down there!!

Anyway we went down there to get stuff at the commissary and saw the two of them...black...looking very much like the one in the hangar above. I'd love to fly one some day.

As for books....check out FLYING BLACK PONIES and CALLSIGN RUSTIC. Great reads! When I say books I mean real books with paper...not them darn nooks and kindles!! Yeah, I"m old fashioned!

Chappie

[Wilson]

I was at a small airshow several years ago when CDF/Cal Fire first began operating Broncos. A gentleman approached the CDF pilot and said he had flown Broncos over in Vietnam. It turned out the CDF pilot had, too. The CDF pilot then got a big grin, waved the gentleman over, pointed to some ductwork in the cockpit, and said, "Check this out. We've got air conditioning!'

Based on the gentleman's reaction, and the CDF pilot's enthusiasm, I get the feeling a hot cockpit was the number one complaint.

Here's a nice little video of Bob Hoover putting a Bronco through its paces: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8lvyiNbHtU

[Speedy]

They are just friggin cool! My wife and I went down to Daytona in 2000 for the Pepsi 400, while we were checking into the hotel in Coca Beach I heard strange sounding turboprops. I looked south and saw two OV-10s going into......holy crap....I just went blank on the AFB down there!!

I believe you're thinking of Patrick AFB, which is just south of the Cape. We used to fly the P-3 out of Jax and go bounce down there.

[maxum96]

Very, very cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wx00Aq9Vsk

Thanks for the link. That was a very cool video!

[SaxMan]

Very cool videos. What I like about Hoover is that if you saw him walking down the street, you'd think he was your Accountant and not one of the finest pilots to ever set foot in an airplane...any airplane.

IIRC, the OV-10 saw service with the Marines in Desert Storm as a FAC / Close air support craft.